Drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system

ABSTRACT

A drawer unit of storage racks comprises a base frame and roller conveyer portions attached to both sides of the base frame and in which a plurality of rollers are arranged rotatably in parallel on each conveyer frame so that an article storage tray is movable in a back and forth direction. A drawer slider on which an article storage tray is to be placed is disposed movably in a back and forth direction of the base frame, and an actuator for driving the drawer slider in a back and forth direction is provided on the base frame. In this drawer unit, an article storage tray for storing articles is placed on the drawer slider and when an instruction for picking out is issued, the drawer slider is moved in a forward direction by an operation of the actuator in such a way that the article storage tray is pulled out of a storage section of the racks in a forward direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system. In such storage racks, a display response device is provided for each location of stored articles so that worker can easily find the location of an article for operations related to picking out from an indication of the display response device.

2. Description of Related Art

Conventionally, an assistance in picking out system consists of storage racks, article storage trays, and display response devices with a completion switch so that worker can easily pick articles in accordance with the instructions from the display response devices provided for each location of stored articles.

The conventional an assistance in picking out system is constituted of a fixed rack with multiple article storage sections, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-291412, and each article storage section is exclusively processed from fixed posts and shelves. A display response device, which indicates location of stored articles and a completion switch, which fixed on each storage section frame, is pressed when worker has completed an instructed operation related to picking out.

A lighting signal transmitted from this display response device, and a switch signal generated by the completion switch, are controlled by the picking control unit provided on each storage rack. The picking control unit is made up of a computer, and the display response devices with a completion switch provided on each storage section frame are connected to I/O ports of the controlled computer.

However, the storage racks using this kind of an assistance in picking out system are constituted of fixed rack frames, fixed supporting posts, and fixed shelves. Because of this, restructuring work for extending and reducing storage sections is difficult, such reconfiguring work is costly, and it is consequently not easy to increase or decrease the number of storage sections.

Because articles are stored in trays which are installed in each article storage section of the storing rack, if a desired article is located deep inside the tray, worker must stretch his or her hand in order to reach that particular article, and the worker have found it difficult to pick the desired article.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system, a drawer unit which facilitates restructuring by means of increases or decreases in the quantity of storage sections within storage racks.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system, a drawer unit which enables worker who receives an instruction to pick a corresponding article easily from the storage sections.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system comprising: a base frame; roller conveyer portions attached to both sides of the base frame and in which a plurality of rollers are arranged rotatably in parallel on each conveyer frame so that an article storage tray is movable in a back and forth direction; an engaging portion provided at a front portion of the base frame so as to be engaged detachably with the horizontal frame of each storage section on the storage racks; an engaging portion provided at a rear end portion of the roller conveyer portion so as to be engaged detachably with the rear horizontal frame of each storage section on the storage racks; a drawer slider disposed movably in a back and forth direction of the base frame and on which the article storage tray is to be placed; and an actuator attached to the base frame for driving the drawer slider in a back and forth direction.

In the drawer unit of the storage racks having a structure described above, article storage trays in which articles are stored are placed on the drawer slider. The drawer slider is moved forward so as to pull out the article storage tray by an operation of the actuator, and consequently, worker can pick an article easily from the article storage tray placed on the drawer slider.

Further, a display response device with a completion switch can be provided on the front portion of drawer slider. Consequently, when the drawer slider is moved forward, the response units are projected forward, so that worker can clarify without fail the article storage tray from which an article is to be picked.

The drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system may be constructed in such a way that a swing stopper is provided at a rear portion of the base frame through a mounting bracket, and a stopper portion, which prevents an article storage tray positioned at a rear portion of the roller conveyer portion from moving forward, is provided at the rear portion of the roller conveyer portion, so that when an article storage tray positioned on the front portion of the roller conveyer is picked out, the stopper portion at the rear portion of the swing stopper is lowered so as to release the stopper function. Consequently, when an empty article storage tray is removed from the front portion of the drawer slider and the roller conveyer portion, an article storage tray containing articles located at the rear portion of the roller conveyer portion can be moved forward easily, thereby achieving replenishment of articles in the article storage tray effectively.

Further, the front horizontal frame and the rear horizontal frame at each storage section on the storage racks are formed as part of an assembly-type pipe frame structure and the front horizontal frame and the rear horizontal frame are installed onto the pipe frames that constitutes the storage frame of storage racks in such a way that they are capable of being disassembled. Consequently, if there is an intention to extend the storage section of the storage racks or reduce the storage section so as to downsize the storage racks, the present invention can satisfy such demands, and restructuring of storage sections by means of enlargement or reduction of the storage sections can be achieved rapidly at a low cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a condition in which drawer units of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system of the present invention are installed on a part of storage racks;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drawer unit;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a condition in which the drawer slider has been pulled out;

FIG. 4 is a disassembly perspective view of the drawer unit;

FIG. 5A is a right side view of a condition in which the trays for storing parts are mounted on the front and rear portions of a roller conveyer portion;

FIG. 5B is a right side view of a condition in which a tray for storing parts at the front portion has been removed;

FIG. 6A is a composite construction diagram of an assistance in picking out system; and

FIG. 6B is a block diagram of a drawer unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not restricted to the embodiments described herein. Any modification within the requirements of claims, or equivalents of the requirements, are to be construed as included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

In the present invention of drawer unit of the storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system, when an instruction for picking out is given, a drawer unit 10 which is installed in a storage section is moved forward from the storage rack 1 so as to pull out the article storage trays on the unit. Consequently, it makes easier for worker to locate the article and operate picking. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a condition in which the drawer unit 10 is provided on part of the storage racks 1, FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the same drawer unit 10 and FIG. 4 shows a disassembly perspective view of the same drawer unit 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the storage racks 1 incorporating an assistance in picking out system is basically constituted of a pipe frame construction formed by assembling a plurality of pipe materials (linear pipe members cut into a predetermined length) with elbow joints and T-shaped joints. Multiple levels of storage sections are formed within storage racks 1 by installing a front horizontal pipe frame 5 a on the front portion and a rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b on the rear portion so as to oppose the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a. Drawer units 10 a-10 d are mounted on plural storage section equipped with the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a and the rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b as shown in FIG. 6.

So as to form a single storage section the drawer unit 10 is engaged detachably between the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a and the rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b which are disposed in parallel respectively on the front side and the interior in a back and forth direction. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, two roller conveyer portions 22 are stretched on both sides between the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a and the rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b. A hook-type engaging portion 28, which engages the rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b, is provided at the rear end portion of the roller conveyer portion 22.

As for the roller conveyers 22 on both sides, a plurality of conveyer rollers 24 are supported rotatably in a transverse direction inside a narrow conveyer frame 22 a in such a way that they are arranged in a horizontal direction, and in such a way that an article storage tray 3 can be carried from the interior up to the forward side. The roller conveyer portion 22 is provided so as to move to the front the article storage tray 3 mounted on the rear portion and further to move forward the article storage tray 3 positioned on the drawer slider 14 on the front portion forward.

The drawer slider 14 that is composed of a sheet material bent into an L shape is provided so as to be movable in a back and forth direction between the two roller conveyer portions 22. The front portion of this drawer slider 14 is disposed so that in an upright position its face is positioned so as to face the front face of the storage racks 1, and a display response device 12 having dual purpose switch 42 is disposed on the front face of this upright portion. A sheet-like base frame 36 is disposed under the drawer slider 14 in parallel with the bottom face of the drawer slider 14, and both side edges of this base frame 36 are fixed to the conveyer frame 22 a of the roller conveyer portion 22.

Conveyer frame mounting portions 34 a, 34 b are fixed to four corner portions of the base frame 36, the conveyer frames being open in an upward direction and each having a substantially C-shaped section. By means of inserting and fixing the roller conveyer portions 22 into the conveyer frame mounting portions 34 a, 34 b, the base frame 36 and the roller conveyer portion 22 are joined to each other.

Moreover, a hook-shaped engaging portion 26 is provided at a front portion of the base frame 36, the hook-shaped engaging portion 26 being engaged with the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a. Then, by engaging this engaging portion 26 with the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a, and by engaging the engaging portion 28 at the rear end portion of the roller conveyer portion 22 with the rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, a drawer unit 10 comprising a base frame 36, a drawer slider 14 and roller conveyer portions 22 on both sides is mounted detachably on the storage section of the storage racks 1.

Further, drawer supporting rollers 20 are supported rotatably at inside positions of the roller conveyer portion 22 on both sides of the front portion top face of the base frame 36. The drawer slider 14 disposed above the base frame 36 is supported movably in a back and forth direction by the drawer supporting rollers 20 so that it can be moved in a back and forth direction smoothly. Further, a drawer bracket 16 is provided at a rear portion of the drawer slider 14 in such a way that it extends backward, and the drawer slider 14 and the drawer bracket 16 move in a back and forth direction together.

As shown in FIG. 2, an electromagnetic solenoid 18, as an actuator, is fixed to the top of the base frame 36, and the front end of a solenoid plunger 18 a is fixed to the inside face of the drawer bracket 16 of the drawer slider 14. Consequently, when the electromagnetic solenoid 18 returns the solenoid plunger 18 a, as shown in FIG. 3, the drawer slider 14 is pulled forward.

An arm-like swing stopper 30 is supported swingably by a shaft 30 c on the left side edge of the rear portion of the base frame 36, and a stopper portion 30 a is provided projectingly at the rear portion of the base frame 36. When nothing is on the front portion of drawer slider 14, as shown in FIG. 5B, the swing stopper 30 is unlocked with the stopper portion 30 a lowered below the top face of the roller conveyer portion 22.

A pressed portion 30 b is provided projectingly on the top face of the front portion of the swing stopper 30, and when the article storage tray 3 is mounted on the drawer slider 14 and the roller conveyer portion 22 as shown in FIG. 5A, the article storage tray 3 presses down the pressed portion 30 b and consequently, the swing stopper 30 swings so as to project in an upward direction the stopper portion 30 a at the rear end, thereby preventing another article storage tray 3 mounted on the roller conveyer portion 22 from moving forward.

When the front article storage tray 3 is removed, as shown in FIG. 5A, the pressed portion 30 b is projected in an upward direction from an opening portion of the drawer bracket 16 so that the stopper portion 30 a is lowered below the top faces of the drawer slider 14 and the roller conveyer portion 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a retraction stopper 32 is supported swingably by a shaft 32 b on the side face of the drawer bracket 16 on an opposite side to the swing stopper 30.

A stopper portion 32 a having a substantially rectangular inclined face is provided projectingly in an upward direction at the front end of the rear portion of this retraction stopper 32. Usually, the retraction stopper 32 keeps the stopper portion 32 a projected in an upward direction from the top face of the roller conveyer portion 22 thereby preventing the article storage tray 3 mounted on the front portion of the storage section from moving backward. When an article storage tray 3 mounted on the rear portion of the storage section moves forward, the retraction stopper 32 swings so as to lower the stopper portion 32 a, thus causing allowing the article storage tray 3 to move forward.

With the structure described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the articles storage tray 3 a, 3 b are respectively mounted on the front and rear portions of the drawer slider 14 and the roller conveyer portion 22 and when an article storage tray 3 a on the front portion is removed, the swing stopper 30 swings due to its own weight so that the stopper portion 30 a is lowered as shown in FIG. 5B, thereby allowing the article storage tray 3 b on the rear portion to be moved forward. If worker pulls the article storage tray 3 b when the roller conveyer portion 22 is installed completely horizontally, the article storage tray 3 b can be brought out to the front portion. If the roller conveyer portion 22 is mounted tiltingly in such a way that the front portion thereof is slightly lower, the article storage tray 3 b can be automatically moved to the front portion.

As described above, the display response device 12 having dual purpose switch 42 is attached to the front face of an upright portion of the drawer slider 14 and this display response device 12 is configured as shown in FIG. 6B. The display response device 12 is constituted mainly of a controller 40 comprising a CPU, a ROM, a RAM and I/O ports and dual purpose switch 42 and a numeral display 43 are provided on the front face thereof.

A dual purpose switch 42 is provided internally with a location display lamp 42 b which is lit when an instruction signal for picking is received, and further includes a completion switch 42 a which worker presses when the picking task has been completed. Although, in this example, the location display lamp 42 b and the completion switch 42 a are incorporated inside the dual purpose switch 42 in such a way that a display and switch ON are implemented at the same place, the location display lamp and the completion switch may be provided separately.

The location display lamp 42 b and the completion switch 42 a are connected to the I/O ports of controller 40. The numeral display 43 indicates the quantity of articles to be picked out or put in and is constituted of for example, a 7-segment liquid crystal display, which is connected to the I/O ports of the controller 40. The electromagnetic solenoid actuator 18 for moving the drawer unit 10 is connected to the I/O ports of the controller 40 through a drive circuit and when an instruction signal for picking is received, the controller 40 pulls back the electromagnetic solenoid 18 so as to bring out the drawer unit 10 in a forward direction.

The display response device 12 is operated based on program data written in advance in the ROM, receives information relating to picking transmitted from picking control computer 50 through a relay unit 7, and based on that information relating to picking, lights the location display lamp 42 b and displays the quantity of articles to be picked out or put in on the numeral display 43. After worker has performed procedures of picking out based on the information relating to picking, when worker turns ON the completion switch 42 a, the display response device 12 memorizes a picking out completion state, and when it receives a polling control signal sent from the relay unit 7, it sends this picking out completion signal to the relay unit 7.

Thus, the display response device 12 of each drawer unit 10 is connected to the relay unit 7 through a communication passage 8 based on, for example, an RS-485 standard two-line communication method, as shown in FIG. 6A. Because a plurality of display response devices 12 is connected to the relay unit 7, the display indication device 12 contains each address in order to identify itself. The display response device 12 is provided with a receipt portion and a sending portion in order to execute for example, RS-485 standard data communication. Further, the relay unit 7 is connected to the picking control computer 50 through a hub (not shown).

The relay unit 7 is constituted of a single-board computer comprising a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, I/O ports, and the like and has a LAN interface. The relay unit 7 is connected to the picking control computer 50 through a wireless LAN or a LAN cable so as to execute interactive communication using such a communication protocol as TCP/IP. Usually, a plurality of relay units is provided and an IP address is set in each relay unit 7 so as to identify each relay unit 7.

The relay unit 7 converts the information relating to picking out sent from the picking control computer 50 into a readable format and sends such information to a plurality of the display response devices 12. Further, after sending the information relating to picking out to the display response device 12, the relay unit 7 sends a polling control signal to the display response device 12 and receives a response signal such as a completion switch signal sent from the display response device 12 in response to polling. Then, the relay unit 7 converts a response signal such as a completion switch signal into a readable format and sends the signal to the picking control computer 50.

The picking control computer 50 is constituted of, for example, a general purpose personal computer, and a single, or plural, relay units are connected to a LAN adapter loaded thereon through a wireless LAN or a LAN cable. In the picking control computer 50, software for supporting procedures relating to picking out software that has been produced in advance, is memorized in a ROM or the like, and information related to procedures for picking out, more specifically, the identification code of each article storage tray 3, the numbers of articles to be stored, and the quantities of articles being stored, is memorized in a data table format. Then, at times that procedures of picking out are undertaken, the numbers of articles being picked out, are input to the picking control computer 50 as information relating to picking out.

Moreover, the storage racks 1 of the assembly-type pipe frame structure is built to an arbitrary length with an arbitrary number of levels, so that plural storage sections are formed into a multiple-stage structure in parallel to one on other. In each storage section, as described above, the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a is disposed horizontally on the front side, and the rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b is disposed horizontally on the rear side, so that upper and lower storage sections form space by means of four vertical pipe frames 5 c.

A drawer unit 10 with the structure described above is mounted in each storage section by means of engaging a hook-like engaging portion 26 with the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a and the engaging portion 28 with the rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b. Because the roller conveyer portions 22 can be easily disassembled (slidable) with respect to the conveyer frame mounting portions 34 a, 34 b of the base frame 36, as shown in FIG. 4, the drawer unit 10 can be easily installed while the projection length of the roller conveyer portions 22 is being adjusted. Further, because, when they are fixed, the roller conveyer portions 22 can be pulled or slid with respect to the conveyer frame mounting portions 34 a, 34 b the drawer unit 10 can be satisfactorily installed without any clearance occurring.

Next, an operation of the drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system, and that has the structure described above will be described. Articles such as various parts and products to be picked out are accommodated in the article storage trays 3, and the article storage tray 3 is placed on the drawer slider 14 of the drawer unit 10, and on the front and rear roller conveyer portions 22 on each storage section of the storage racks. Usually, as shown in FIG. 2, the electromagnetic solenoid 18 for the drawer is in a condition in which the solenoid plunger 18 a is pushed out, and the drawer slider 14 is positioned within the storage section.

A picking control instruction signal containing a product number of a product to be picked out and information on quantity is sent from the picking control computer 50 to the relay unit 7.

When the relay unit 7 receives the picking control instruction signal, the relay unit 7 sends to the display response device 12 an instruction signal for picking out with an address of a display response device 12 of a storage section in which an article is stored based on the information relating to picking out. When the display response device 12 receives an instruction signal for picking out containing the information relating to picking out addressed to itself, the display response device 12 lights the location display lamp 42 b of dual purpose switch 42, actuates the electromagnetic solenoid 18 and displays on the numeral display 43 the quantity of articles to be picked.

When the electromagnetic solenoid 18 pulls back the solenoid plunger 18 a, the drawer slider 14 is pulled through the drawer bracket 16 in a forward direction so that the drawer slider 14 slides onto the drawer supporting roller 20, and the article storage tray 3 is then pulled forward. Because the article storage tray 3 is pulled forward and the location display lamp 42 b of dual purpose switch 42 is lit, worker confirms the article storage tray for which an instruction has been issued and picks up articles of an instructed quantity from the article storage tray 3.

When the picking of articles has been completed, worker turns ON the completion switch 42 a of dual purpose switch 42. At this time, the controller 40 of the display response device 12 turns off the location display lamp 42 b and simultaneously operates the electromagnetic solenoid 18 so as to restore its position. In other words, the electromagnetic solenoid 18 pushes the solenoid plunger 18 a in such a way that the drawer slider 14 is pulled through the drawer bracket 16 in a backward direction and then, the drawer slider 14 slides onto the drawer supporting roller 20 and is pulled back into the storage racks 1. A picking out completion signal is sent from the controller 40 to the picking control computer 50 through the relay unit 7.

When such an operation is repeated in such a way that worker picks out articles from the article storage tray 3 for which an instruction has been issued, and in consequence the front article storage tray 3 becomes empty, worker removes an empty article storage tray 3 from the front portion on the drawer unit 10. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the swing stopper 30 swings and the stopper portion 30 a is lowered, thereby enabling the rear article storage tray 3 b to move to the front portion. In the meantime, when an article storage tray 3 a is placed on the front portion, the pressed portion 30 b of the swing stopper 30 is pressed down and the stopper portion 30 a is raised thereby causing the rear article storage tray 3 b to be stopped by the stopper portion 30 a.

At this time, when worker pulls out the article storage tray 3 b on the rear portion, the rear article storage tray 3 b is moved to the front portion, or if the roller conveyer portion 22 is tilted in such a way that the front portion is lowered, an article storage tray 3 b is automatically moved to the front portion so that it is mounted on the drawer slider 14. Consequently, the article storage trays 3 b containing articles is sent to the drawer slider 14 on the front portion, thereby replacing the empty article storage tray. Furthermore, the operations related to picking out described above are repeated.

Because a storage racks 1 with a structure described above employs an assembly-type pipe frame structure including an attachment portion of the drawer unit 10, the quantity of racks can be easily increased or decreased at a low cost. The drawer unit 10 can be installed detachably on the front horizontal pipe frame 5 a and the rear horizontal pipe frame 5 b of each storage section easily by means of engaging the hook-like engaging portions 26, 28. Thus, the position of the drawer unit 10, that is, the position in which the tray is stored can be changed easily and the quantity of the storage sections can be easily increased or decreased at a low cost.

Further, a drawer slider 14 that conveys the article storage trays 3 in which heavy articles are stored can be pulled out smoothly because the drawer slider 14 is supported by the drawer supporting roller 20. Because an article storage trays 3 positioned on the rear portion of a storage section is supported by the roller conveyer portion 22, it can be easily pulled out in a forward direction even if the tray contains articles that are heavy.

When an article storage tray 3 a on the front portion is removed from the drawer slider 14, an article storage tray 3 b with stored articles can be moved to the front from the rear portion of the drawer slider 14 and mounted onto the drawer slider 14. Thus, if an empty article storage tray 3 a is removed, a new article storage tray 3 b can be located at a pick-up position rapidly, thereby enhancing to a significant degree efficiency in operations related to picking out.

Although in the above embodiment, the electromagnetic solenoid 18 is used as an actuator for the drawer slider 14, a horizontal motion driving mechanism with a hydraulic pressure cylinder, or a motor drive, may be used instead. Moreover, although in the above embodiment, the storage racks 1 are constituted of an assembly type pipe frame structure in which pipe members are used, an assembly-type frame structure in which angle members and channel members are used may be adopted instead of the pipe frame. 

1. A drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system comprising: a base frame; roller conveyer portions attached to both sides of the base frame and on which a plurality of rollers are arranged rotatably in parallel on each conveyer frame so that an article storage tray is movable in a back and forth direction; an engaging portion provided at a front portion of the base frame and to be engaged detachably with a horizontal frame of each storage section on the storage racks; an engaging portion provided at the rear end portion of a roller conveyer portion and to be engaged detachably with a rear horizontal frame of each storage section of the storage racks; a drawer slider disposed movably in a back and forth direction of the base frame and on which the article storage tray is to be placed; and an actuator attached to the base frame for driving the drawer slider in a back and forth direction.
 2. The drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system according to claim 1 wherein a display response device is attached to a front portion of the drawer slider and the display response device includes dual purpose switch which indicates an instruction for picking out and a completion switch which worker is to handle when the worker has completed a procedure of picking out.
 3. The drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system according to claim 1 wherein a drawer assistance roller is attached to a front portion of a base frame and the drawer slider is supported on a drawer supporting roller in such a way that it is slidable in a back and forth direction.
 4. The drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system according to claim 1 wherein a swing stopper is provided at a rear portion of the base frame through a mounting bracket and a stopper portion, which prevents an article storage tray positioned at a rear portion of the roller conveyer portion from moving forward, is provided at the rear portion of the swing stopper so that, when an article storage tray positioned on a front portion of the roller conveyer is removed, the stopper portion at the rear portion of the swing stopper is lowered so as to terminate a stopper function.
 5. The drawer unit of storage racks incorporating an assistance in picking out system according to claim 1 wherein the front horizontal frame and the rear horizontal frame of each storage section on the storage racks are formed as a part of an assembly-type pipe frame structure and the front horizontal frame and the rear horizontal frame are installed to the pipe frame that constitutes the frame of the storage racks in such a way that they are capable of being disassembled. 